Ombre Noire is, at least in my opinion, an incredible scent, a must sniff for lovers of booze, tobacco, and resins.
The mid and base notes of the fragrance are not overly unique; combining tobacco, spices like cinnamon, resins like myrrh and olibanum, booze, and wood has been done before, though here it has been executed with particular panache. However, where Ombre Noire differentiates itself is with the addition of fig leaf and mint.
This rush of greenery shoots through the fragrance like an electric shock. The mental image I get when I think of it is similar to a brick house overgrown with vines and creepers. A brazier of resins is burning inside the house, and you can vaguely smell it from afar. As you draw closer, you clear the vines away and open a door into a dark, dimly lit cedar room hazy with the smoke of incense and cigars.
That’s the experience of Ombre Noire for me. As the fragrance dries down, the resins, wood, and tobacco become more prominent, but the green element never fully recedes, keeping an otherwise resinous tobacco fragrance somewhat fresh and unique.
Finally, in the deep drydown you’re left with wisps of dry cedar, smokey tobacco, a melange of resins (which remain clumped together throughout the life of the fragrance; I don’t pick out myrrh or olibanum as individual notes, but rather as a blend), and a subtle hint of tonka sweetness.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the cinnamon.
Cinnamon is very prominent in the fragrance, but don’t think of your typical sweet cinnamon powder. This is a dry, dusty cinnamon bark, paired with papyrus (which has a papery smell) to create an accord that really does remind me of walking through the souk in Marrakech and the rich, mingled scents of spices in the air.
Some have compared the smell of this fragrance to garam masala, an Indian spice blend. I wouldn’t really go as far as that, but this is definitely not your holiday spice cinnamon candle kind of experience.
The blend of cinnamon bar and papyrus, burning resins, smoky tobacco, dry cedarwood, and vibrant green mint and fig leaf create an incredibly wonderful, unique, and appealing scent profile. This is one of the few fragrances that have made me audibly say, “Oh my god!” upon first sniffing and keep my nose glued to my arm for hours afterwards.
I was honestly expecting a little bit more longevity out of Ombre Noire, but I’m also perfectly fine with seven to eight hours, as that more than satisfies my perfume needs. This is a lot less hefty than the notes might suggest, and so the performance overall is a bit pared down compared to heavy hitters from Middle Eastern brands like Arabian Oud or Amouage.
The projection and sillage of Ombre Nomade, on the other hand, are quite good.
Ombre Nomade will also linger in a room after it’s been sprayed, always a sign of the quality of a perfume’s sillage. This is not a beast mode fragrance by any means, but people definitely won’t fail to smell you if you’ve got this on, and you might even get a compliment or two, too.
This will leave behind a rich, complex, and alluring trail behind you, without being too strong or invasive. To me that’s the best kind of projection.
Overall, Ombre Noire is an absolutely beautiful scent in my book, with a unique scent profile, beautiful bottle, and solid performance. Well worth seeking out if you can find a bottle for a decent price.
9/10
Top Notes 
Peppermint
Fig leaf
Italian bergamot
Heart Notes 
Frankincense
Tobacco
Cinnamon
Papyrus
Base Notes 
Cedarwood
Cognac
Myrrh
Tonka bean
KimJong
Topfpflanze3
BertolucciK
Marcassoulet
RatCow
DJSaunter
ChicoRoch1
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